Astro Boy and Pluto (5)

Astro Boy Vol. 3

The Greatest Robot on Earth
by Osamu Tezuka

Jun 1964 - Jan 1965

Pages 102-118

Dr. Tenma augments Astro Boy’s power to 1 million horsepower. Astro Boy goes a little crazy trying to adjust to his new power level. Dr. Tenma feared this might happen. Pluto runs into Astro Boy and they fight. The fight ends underwater. Astro Boy falls into a deep trench and sinks deep into the ocean.

Astro Boy and Pluto (4)

Astro Boy Vol. 3

The Greatest Robot on Earth
by Osamu Tezuka

Jun 1964 - Jan 1965

Pages 79-101

The professor remains a prisoner of the Sultan. Astro Boy meets Dr. Tenma who offers to try and help Astro Boy become a one million horsepower robot.

Epsilon, a robot from Australia, meets with Hercules, a robot from Greece. Epsilon suggests that they should team up and fight Pluto together. Hercules is too proud for that. He insists on fighting Pluto alone. He does and he is destroyed. Epsilon witnesses the fight. Pluto tells him to meet him in Australia.

Batman and the Outsiders (1983) 4

Batman and the Outsiders (1983) 4
Nov 1983

One-Man Meltdown
By Mike W. Barr, Jim Aparo

The series continues to evolve. There’s another villain in this story but what seems to matter more is the evolution of the team and some of the new characters.

Batman talks Halo through using her superpowers to transform into her civilian identity. She’s flying at the time and once she changes she starts falls out of the sky. Geo-Force saves her from a hard landing. It seems a bit strange that she can't remain aloft or use her powers once she transforms but maybe that part will be explained in the future.

Astro Boy and Pluto (3)

Astro Boy Vol. 3

The Greatest Robot on Earth
by Osamu Tezuka

Jun 1964 - Jan 1965

Pages 49-78

Pluto destroys Gerhardt, a German robot. Professor Ochanomizu goes to see Sultan, the man who set Pluto on his deadly quest to become the king of all the robots.

Astro Boy follows the professor. Sultan throws Ochanomizu into a pit filled with robot crocodiles. Astro Boy saves him from the robo-crocs but then he has to fight Pluto again. He breaks off one of the larger robot’s horns.

Astro Boy and Pluto (2)

Astro Boy Vol. 3

The Greatest Robot on Earth
by Osamu Tezuka

Jun 1964 - Jan 1965

Pages 32-48

Pluto’s creator calls Astro Boy’s home. Uran, Astro Boy’s sister, answers the phone. She pretends to be her brother. Pluto’s creator directs her to a spot where she will meet and fight Pluto. She dresses up like her brother and heads out for the rendezvous.

Pluto instantly sees that she isn’t Astro. He refuses to fight her but then grabs her and demands to know where's Astro Boy.

Astro Boy and Pluto (1)

Astro Boy Vol. 3

The Greatest Robot on Earth
by Osamu Tezuka

Jun 1964 - Jan 1965

Pages 8-31

Pluto, a giant robot with horns, is sent by his creator to destroy the seven most powerful robots on earth. He starts with Mont Blanc, a Swiss robot. Maybe it is just luck or the element of surprise but Pluto destroys the Swiss robot fairly quickly.

Batman and the Outsiders (1983) 3

Batman and the Outsiders (1983) 3
Oct 1983

Bitter Orange!
By Mike W. Barr, Jim Aparo

Batman and the Outsiders return to Gotham. He takes them to the Batcave and introduces them to Alfred, without revealing his secret identity.

Bruce Wayne takes Halo to Dr. Douglas Dundee, a general practitioner. Halo starts playing a piano while the two men talk about her. She doesn’t recall anything about the past including when and where she learned to play. She decides to take the name Gaby (rhymes with maybe) Doe.

Kurt Busiek’s Astro City (1996) 13

Kurt Busiek’s Astro City (1996) 13
Feb 1998

In the Spotlight
By Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson

Loony Leo tells his story to a guy who is looking to hire him to do some advertisements for a car dealership. Leo was a cartoon character until one day in 1946 when he was accidentally brought to life by Professor K. The Professor was wrecking havoc at a theater in Romeyn Falls with a device that brought imaginary characters to life.

Terry and the Pirates (4)

Terry and the Pirates
Vol. 1: 1934-1936
By Milton Caniff

Arc 4: The Skull and the Dragon
Mar 17 - Aug 25, 1935

This is the second of the Sundays only arcs.

Batman and the Outsiders (1983) 2

 

Batman and the Outsiders (1983) 2
Sep 1983

Markovia’s Last Stand!
By Mike W. Barr, Jim Aparo

Batman tries to cut a deal with Baron Bedlam but the would-be usurper isn’t interested in cutting Batman, Black Lightning, or Metamorpho any slack. He tells them his origin story, about how he got his scar, and about his father who ran Markovia and worked for the Nazis during World War 2.

Kurt Busiek’s Astro City (1996) 1/2

Kurt Busiek’s Astro City (1996) 1/2
Jan 1998

The Nearness of You
By Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson

Michael Tenicek is haunted by dreams of Miranda, a woman who seems familiar to him but he has no clear memories of her. He asks everyone he knows about her but no one has a clue whom or what he’s talking about. One night the Hanged Man comes to him and explains why he’s having these dreams.

Batman and the Outsiders (1983) 1

Batman and the Outsiders (1983) 1
Aug 1983

Wars Ended...Wars Begun
By Mike W. Barr, Jim Aparo

Batman travels to Markovia, a European country that is wedged between France, Luxembourg, and Belgium. A civil war has broken out in Markovia and Lucius Fox, one of Bruce Wayne’s employees, is being held for ransom. The Justice League turns down Batman’s request. Superman tells him that as a member of the JLA he is forbidden from intervening so Batman quits and goes on his own.

Kurt Busiek’s Astro City (1996) 12

Kurt Busiek’s Astro City (1996) 12
Dec 1997

Father’s Day
By Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson

Zack tells Tamara about his encounter with his would-be sons. He is trepidatious about having a child under the current circumstances. He worries about what he or she, the child, might become. This isn’t the reaction Tamara was hoping for.

Jack continues to fight crime but he begins to worry about his own safety. He worries about what will happen to Tamara and their child if he is killed fighting crime.

Brave and the Bold (1955) 200

Brave and the Bold (1955) 200
Jul 1983

Batman and the Outsiders Preview
by Mike W Barr, Jim Aparo, Len Wein

This story is placed between the 3rd and 4th issues of the series, in this collected edition, even though this is the preview issue of this series. I’m not sure why. Maybe once I have read the two issues that bookend it all will be clear to me.

Batman and the Outsiders stop a group of terrorists from killing Miklos, another terrorist, at Gotham General Hospital. Each member of the team gets their own little spotlight moment. I love the artwork by Aparo. The villains are a bit too generic for me. The level of violence is surprisingly high in spots.